Tips on how to find the best turkey for Thanksgiving

Published 1:00 am, Sunday, November 21, 2004

A&P Super Foodmarket in Danbury sells both fresh and frozen Grade A turkeys, including organic. But according to butcher Steve Andrejko, it's the cook who makes the turkey good.

"As far as fresh, frozen, or organic, some people say organic tastes better, but I think they're all equally good," he said. "The way a turkey is going to be tender or moist has a lot to do with the chef more than where the turkey was raised or what it ate.

"If you overcook it, it will be dry and tough. The proper way to cook a turkey is on a v-rack, breast down, and maybe the last hour turn it up to brown it. You don't have to worry about basting a turkey. All the juices run down onto the breast, keeping the breast moist and tender."

Andrejko has no information on where A&P's turkeys were raised. Their frozen turkeys are usually bought in May, purchased from turkey farmers. Having tried all brands, Andrejko buys the one with the best price. "For me, personally, there's not one better than the other. I've never had a bad one," he said.

He has been selling them for 30 years. They've been very consistent, very juicy, and tasty, especially for the price.

"People have their own tastes," he added. "I think there's a market for both birds."

Petrone said feeding turkeys different things makes the meat better and tastier, and fresh turkeys are tastier than frozen.

"Freezing definitely takes the moisture out of the meat," he said.

The store offers brochures and booklets on where the turkeys were raised and what they were fed.

Mark Nedley, assistant manager in the butcher department at
Shoprite
in Brookfield, said the fresh, all-natural Jgindl turkey is the best. It comes from a company that's been raising turkeys for over 60 years.

"It's organic and very good," said Nedley. "It's a little more tender, a whiter meat. It's really tasty and juicy. I usually buy a Shoprite fresh every year. It comes out fantastic and is just as good as any other turkey. It doesn't matter if it's a Butterball, Jgindl, or Shoprite. To me, it's the way you cook it, season it, and stuff it."

Shoprite sells a frozen organic Empire turkey. "But a lot of people don't like those because they come with some of the feathers still on them." The packaging has information on cooking and the turkey's history.

"If you raise a turkey the right way, feed it the right thing, it's going to taste a little different, but if you cook it wrong it won't be good," Nedley said. "In my opinion, it's the way you cook it that determines its overall flavor."